The Great War • Hunter

69.The Envelope

Okay I'll be nice. Here's another chapter :)

Every bone, every muscle hurt in Hunter's body. And it wasn't from the injuries he sustained in the rail car crash that happened after the hinge reconnected completely to the track.

The feeling had started the second he saw his little brother falling alongside Alona, their eyes closed as they plummeted past the puffy white clouds.

Hunter had lost his brother, the love of his life, and his unborn child all in one day.

This morning they were just missing Crosshair. How did they get here?

It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to think and talk. Every moment since he saw them give their lives for the mission has been spent in agony, pure excruciating, soul crushing pain.

He would never hear Tech's rambles again, something that he didn't use to think he would ever end up missing. It had only been a day, but kriff, what he'd give to hear him go on about the anatomy of a starship, the uncountable list of pregnancy symptoms, quote literally anything. Hunter just wanted to hear his intelligent little brother's voice.

He would never hear Alona's laugh again. The laugh that never failed to make his heart warm. He would never feel her warm body pressed against his at night. He would never kiss her lips again or run his fingers through her hair. He would never watch her interact with Omega, never see the way her eyes sparkled in a motherly love for the blonde. They would never have their house on Pabu, they would never have their family.

And then lastly he realized he would never get to be a father to the child Alona had been carrying. Hunter couldn't even think about it without a sob escaping his mouth as he sat at Omega's bedside, having run back to Ord Mantell after months, desperate for AZI's medical services to heal the surviving members of the Bad Batch.

Omega was still unconscious, her leg having been severely injured in the crash. She had almost died too. Another thing that sent Hunter further down the pit that had collapsed beneath him. He felt like he was losing himself, like he died with Alona.

Nothing seemed real. Time felt so weird and out of place. Like the galaxy stopped moving the second Tech severed the rail line's connection and sacrificed himself, Alona, and the unborn baby.

Omega's soft groan was the only thing that was able to pull Hunter out of his unresponsive state he had been in for an entire day now. "Hunter?" The small blonde muttered, her voice raspy.

Hunter scooted forward in his chair, trying, but failing, to put on a brave front for Omega. "Hiya, kid." He said quietly, voice utterly broken as he ran a hand through her hair in a similar fashion he did for Alona to calm her.

Omega sat up with Hunter's help, frowning while feeling a little groggy. "W-what happened?" She asked, noticing the crushed expression Hunter wore.

AZI came into the room, doing a quick scan to make sure she was healing nicely. "Hello, Omega. I am relieved you are awake. You each sustained multiple injuries. However, you all will make a full recovery with proper treatment and rest."

Next Wrecker came limping into the room, a neck brace holding his head up. "You're-you're okay." The large clone gasped, kneeling down to place his hands on the girl's knees. He sighed in relief. "Don't scare us like that again." He pleaded, pulling her into a gentle hug before pulling away and standing back up.

Hunter leaned closer to Omega. "How do you feel?" He asked, holding out a flask of water and a thing of medicine just in case. He needed to take care of Omega, it's what Alona would have wanted.

The kid was the closest thing he had left to Alona, and he'd be damned if anything were to take her away from him too.

Omega frowned, glancing away momentarily while she tried to recollect her thoughts. "I don't know." She mumbled, taking the flask from Hunter. "The last thing that I remember, we were in the railcar when..." Her eyes widen and she gasps in realization. "Where's Alona and Tech?"